2013 BMW M5 packs minor tweaks, more power

The new, facelifted BMW M5 has been shown off at a special event at the Nurburgring. The 2014 car features a batch of very minor exterior tweaks, some new kit and a new Competition Package that offers more power than the standard car.

The front of the new M5 gets a slightly tweaked kidney grille that comes with gloss black vents with an M badge, plus adaptive LED headlights, while the rear gets ‘thin blade technology’ LED tail lights. BMW also throws in a set of two-tone, seven-spoke, 20-inch alloys and a number of shiny new paint jobs ─ or not so shiny if you opt for one of the new matt finishes.

Inside, expect a new steering wheel with two M buttons on it – M1 and M2 – which provide user-programmable shortcuts to preset combinations of suspension, throttle, transmission and stability control settings.

The new M5 (like the new M6 and M6 Gran Coupe) will come with the option of a Competition Package that includes sports suspension (which lowers the car by 10mm) 10 per cent faster hydraulic steering, stiffer roll bars and fetching chrome exhaust tailpipes.

The Competition package takes the already potent twin-turbo, 4.4-litre V8 from 552bhp to 567bhp, which reduces the car’s 0 to 62mph time from 4.2 to 4.1 seconds. Flat out, it’ll hit 195mph. Optional carbon ceramic brakes should help scrub that speed off in respectable fashion.

All that power goes through a seven-speed automatic M-DCT dual-clutch gearbox. A six-speed manual is available, but only to our North American cousins – not that they’d even know what to do with it.

There’s no word on price as yet but BMW has said it will spill the beans around August, 2013, when the car goes on sale.